Extremely wide viewing angle
Little flare when taking pictures in backlight
Very fast AF
Can be used with APS-C and full frame sensors
Well built
Compact
Good value for price

Cons:

Very high chromatic aberration
Low corner sharpness
Apertures below f/8.0 less usable because of chromatic aberration and low corner sharpness

The Tokina 10-17 mm Fisheye is suitable for both APS-C and full frame camera's. This lens is compact and focusses fast. Vignetting is remarkably low for a wide angle lens, as is the susceptability for glare. Distortion is large, but this is normal for a fisheye lens. Corner sharpness is, even at f/8.0, low. The main disadvantage of this lens is the very high chromatic aberration associated with high contrasts. If you know how to correct for this phenomeneoon in post-processing, you will enjoy making many pictues using this this lens. Tokina 10-17 mm Fisheye gives you good value for your money.

i just test this lens... this lens become my dream, i will buy this about next 6 months.

Jul 12, 2011

user123OfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: May 25, 2011Location: CanadaPosts: 0

Review Date: May 25, 2011

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $619.00
| Rating: 10

Pros:

Sharpness, solid built, light weight, new version for full frame cameras with hood removed.

Cons:

Nothing that bothers me personally.

Now sold by B&H with the lens hood removed and therefore suitable for use on full frame cameras without the shadow of the lens hood at wider angles. Previously you had to rely on "shaving" services to remove the metal hood.

If you are into Panorama photography, this is a truly great lens now. Couldn't be happier with the purchase and value for money.

May 25, 2011

ptysOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Jul 6, 2007Location: United StatesPosts: 121

Review Date: Dec 5, 2010

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10

Pros:

build, sharpness, fun-factor

Cons:

I got this lens heavily used from a rental place, and honestly no one would be able to tell that. If it weren’t for some scuffs, it would appear and operate like new. All the mechanics are in tip-top shape. The zoom ring is still wonderfully smooth, the focus not so much, but I’ve seen another copy of this lens and this is simply how they operate. This one is Canon mount. I use it on 7D.

As far as optics, well, it’s a fisheye, so know what you’re getting into. The fishy distortion is actually quite nice in that the proportions of objects are more natural closer to edges of the frame, unlike with the rectilinear lens, which keeps the straight lines straight but “stretches” objects away from the center as a result. I often need to add barrel distortion to photos of people taken in tight places with my sigma 10-20 to make their faces less distorted. This lens achieves that naturally, and since the fishiness degree can be lessened by zooming in, I think it’s better for these uses.

Optically I have no complaints. The CA is there as reported everywhere, but LR3 actually deals with it very nicely without even any correction (as compared to Bibble, for example). Using the additional corrections along highlight edges, takes care of most of the unsightliness of this. It’s not much of an issue, in my opinion.

Sharpness is wonderful everywhere at f11 - I am impressed. Wide open the edges suffer, but it’s acceptable for most situations this would be used. Remember that this is pixel-peeping on a 18MP sensor.

Apart from this, the lens is fairly small, AF is fast enough and precise enough. DOF in most situations is pretty large in any event, so it’s not that it matters a great deal.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqtybwWOUq4

Other than a general complaint about fisheye pricing versus their limited usability, I don’t have any issues with this one.

Dec 5, 2010

n0b0OfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Sep 22, 2008Location: AustraliaPosts: 5654

Review Date: Apr 24, 2010

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10

Pros:

Versatile zoom. Works on both full frame and crop sensor body, at least for Canon. Fairly sharp wide open, VERY sharp stopped down. Solid build.

Cons:

None that matters.

IMO, THE default choice for fisheye whether you have full frame or crop sensor body, and especially if you have both.

It's a very strong and solid lens. I dropped mine on the pavement from about a meter high (3 ft) and nothing was damaged apart from a little scratch on the cap.

I toiled over this, the canon 15mm, or the Sigma 10mm. The nice thing about the Canon is it will work on full frame cameras. This lens will work on a 1D mark III but you have to zoom out to 12 mm to not have a hard boxy looking vignette, it works great on my 40D too. Focus is fast, but you spend most of your time at infinity anyway. When you have AF enabled forget trying to turn the focus ring, it does not budge. It's a sturdy lens too, built like a tank. It feels like the same materials that the L lenses are made of. It is not F/2.8 but fisheyes seem to let more light in anyway. You start at 180' field of view, but it drops as you zoom out, this is probably the only real negative especially when I'm shooting w/ it on my 1D. I typically park the zoom at 14mm regardless of body, and click away. It's fun to put the camera up in someones face (although rude, so dont do to strangers) and take a quick shot, huge nose and huge foreheads :D. I highly recommend this lens if you are in the market for a fisheye.

Apr 8, 2010

Yonatan WexlerOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Dec 24, 2006Location: United StatesPosts: 0

Review Date: Dec 25, 2009

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $550.00
| Rating: 10

Pros:

Controllable fisheye distortion! small, strong, decent price.

Cons:

slightly worse optically than fixed lenses

Tokina made an excellent decision here, making a fisheye lens with wider applicability. Fisheye lenses are fantastic for busy scenarios and work great for kids. Having the zoom, allows to control the amount of "fishyness" in the image, hence also giving normal looking images without the need to change lenses. This is my favorite lens in parties, mostly on canon 40D (1.6 crop sensor).

Build quality is excellent. It is small enough to stay in the bag 'just in case', the cap stays firmly on. It works both on crop sensor and full frame cameras.

The Canon 15mm indeed gives better image quality, and f/2.8 is better than f/3.5. Both of these are minor issues though. The flexibility of the zoom outweighs that big time.

Dec 25, 2009

willisOfflineBuy and Sell: On

Registered: Jul 23, 2005Location: United KingdomPosts: 520

Review Date: Feb 18, 2009

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10

Pros:

Sharp, high contrast. Works on APS-H from 12mm, FF from about 15mm. Light, well built.

Cons:

Haven't found any, maybe the focus is a bit buzzy but AF is not much of an issue at these focal lengths.

It's an acquired taste but it does what it does really well. If you know you want a fisheye you can't go wrong.

Feb 18, 2009

FatBoyAlOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Sep 4, 2005Location: United StatesPosts: 671

Review Date: Oct 1, 2008

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $475.00
| Rating: 9

Pros:

Solid build, decently fast focus, sharp, small

Cons:

None yet

I bought this after reading reviews here and owning the 11-17 and 12-24 from Tokina. (Actually, I also owned the 'fantastic plastic' 19-35 a while back.) I was hoping to do some more creative stuff and for that, this lens doesn't disappoint. It should be noted that as a fisheye, the uses are limited and one should consider that prior to purchase. After owning the other two UWA's, I knew I wanted the fisheye effect, so it wasn't a surprise to me.
Doesn't focus fast, but doesn't really need to, either. I've seen lots of skateboarder shots with this, tho I don't shoot skateboarders.
Fun to use, excellent Tokina quality, long warranty. If what you desire is a fisheye, nothing really compares.

Oct 1, 2008

walt thompsonOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Sep 12, 2006Location: United StatesPosts: 5

Review Date: Aug 30, 2008

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $549.00
| Rating: 9

Pros:

sharp, sharp, sharp! I was a little worried about not buying a Canon lens due to the sharpness, but I have not been let down.

Cons:

no protection for the front element.

I was pretty skeptical about the sharpness of a non Canon lens, but I have been very satisfied with my results. If you have never tried a fisheye lens you should they are really fun. I have been shooting for over twenty years and this is my first fisheye and I love it.

Aug 30, 2008

sickboy11OfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Jun 10, 2008Location: United StatesPosts: 87

Review Date: Jul 3, 2008

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $560.00
| Rating: 9

Pros:

Sharpness, color saturation, contrast,

Cons:

Love this lens. Colors are amazing and it is very sharp. A fantastic fisheye effect on my 40D. If you need a fisheye for a APS-C DSLR, look no further!

Focus slightly slow. No protection from smudges and scratches when lens is in use.

At half the price of the Canon 15mm fisheye, 2/3rds of the Canon 10-22mm and 1/3rd the price of the new Canon 14mm f2.8 Fisheye, the Tokina 10-17mm is an extreme value-for-money lens providing both UWA and Fisheye, as well as excellent sharpness, contrast and colours. While it is meant for cropped sensor cameras, I was (very pleasantly) surprised to find that is it also very useable on the 5D. There is strong vignetting from 10-13mm but from 14mm to 17mm, it is full-frame all the way. How awesome is that?! And the fisheye effect is still strong and useful.

The body is solid and surprisingly compact, so this lens goes everywhere with me. The zoom and focus rings are kinda narrow, but not used often anyway (though that does not mean having the zoom range is not utilised or useful). Flare control is very good, I shot under overhead sun and no flare except one photo. Indoors too, lights do not exhibit any flare effect.

AF is fast and quiet, but does not seem as fast as some other lenses, though I was using the 5D instead of 40D, so the focus may be faster with a newer body? Although I am switching over to Nikon soon, I fully expect to purchase this again for that mount - 100% no hesitation, 100% no doubts.

Mar 24, 2008

SEJohnson83OfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Mar 10, 2008Location: United StatesPosts: 962

Review Date: Mar 24, 2008

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $499.99
| Rating: 9

Pros:

Superior build quality when it comes to 3rd party lenses. Excellent DOF, color and contrast. It ZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMS

Cons:

Displays some CA, but is certainly editable in the P.P.

I have been a hobbyist for 8 years now and have just decided to approach wide angle shooting. I've always loved the fisheye distortion and this is my first fisheye lens. IMO it is a specialty lens and isn't recomended for certain types of shots (portraits) although I'm sure some angles could be acceptable... either way, it's a great lens to have in your bag for when you're feeling fishy!

Mar 24, 2008

Mick IOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Sep 10, 2006Location: United StatesPosts: 137

Review Date: Feb 28, 2008

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $499.99
| Rating: 10

Pros:

Solid build, Good optics, Fast focusing.

Cons:

Lens cap

I've been a fan to Tokina after I purchased a 12-24 for my Nikon. I have since switched to Canon and was looking to get a Fisheye as well as a UWA.

I had heard of this lens and after looking at all the pros and cons I couldn't be happier! Sure I could get the fixed 15mm @ 2.8 and then I'd have to get the 10-22 which is a 3.5-5.6 (and can't use on a FF sensor) after mulling it over I did the math and pulled the trigger.

I normally do not buy 3rd party lens but when it comes to Tokina I think I am going to add a few more to the arsenal. The solid build, good optics, and variety has made me a convert.

Feb 28, 2008

Jman13OfflineBuy and Sell: On

Registered: May 1, 2005Location: United StatesPosts: 13007

Review Date: Nov 19, 2007

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $499.00
| Rating: 9

Pros:

Sharp, good contrast and color, very versatile for a fisheye with the 10-17mm zoom. Frame filling super wide fish at 10mm, almost rectilinear wide-angle at 17mm. Excellent build quality

Cons:

CA at borders on high contrast edges. (mostly correctable in post processing)

I've had my 10-17 for about a week now, and have used it in a variety of situations. First off, if you've never used a fisheye made for your camera format, you've not experienced wide. I also own the Tokina 12-24mm UWA, and 12mm on the fisheye is significantly wider than 12mm on the 12-24, and 10mm on the fisheye is just incredible.

Given the extreme field of view, the lens is extremely sharp. Even not considering its extreme field of view, it's a sharp lens. Center sharpness is excellent at all apertures, and corner sharpness is pretty good wide open, and very good 2 stops down.

Color and contrast are excellent at all apertures.

I really like the ability to zoom. 10mm is fantastic, but there are times you don't want that wide, and you can still get the fisheye distortion and width, but you can frame to only how wide you need.

Also, for anyone who thinks that fisheye distortion is only a 'special effect', you haven't used a fisheye long enough. Both fisheyes and rectilinear ultra-wides distort at the edges...the fisheye distorts straight lines to be round, but at the same time, it doesn't distort circles. Rectilinear stretches and distorts by pulling the edges, fisheyes curve things, but do not distort size at all.

Overall, a truly excellent lens. The only thing that keeps it from a 10 rating is the CA at the edges of the frame on high contrast edges. It can mostly be fixed in post processing, but it's there.